Customer Reviews

Warren Ellis' Atmospherics

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As the previous review states, Avatar really lets Warren Ellis cut like nothing Marvel or DC have ever let him before, and Atmospherics is proof of that. A very short graphic novel, Atmospherics deals with a woman claiming to be the lone survivor of a town whose population was massacred by alien beings. So she says, but did she commit these acts herself under the delusion of heroin use? That's the main question as Ellis' interrogation unfolds, and leads to bigger and better things as well. Everything you'd come to expect about Ellis' style is here: his penchant for paranoid feelings, poppy dialogue, and science fact and fiction are all used very nicely here. Ken Meyer provides stark black and white artwork as well, which suits the dark and dreary tone of the book. Ellis also provides an afterword, which finds the author offering a scathing discussion on alien blamed cow mutilations and Communion author Whitley Striber. The only real downside to Atmospherics is that it's over too soon, but the book is still worth picking up for Ellis fans regardless.

While not the most amazing of his body of work. This short book by Warren Ellis was very interesting to read. A lot of recurring themes that he continues to use are present here (paranoia, drug use, disorientation, etc). The art is ok. The quality of the book is good. Avatar usually does a pretty nice job with there stuff. Often times their books are extremely tasteless and not for those without a very dark sense of humor. I happen to have one, so it suits me fine.

All in all, if you are a Warren Ellis fan, you really should buy this book. Besides, it is extremely cheap.

If you want to check out other Ellis books from Avatar, look for SCARS and the Strange Kisses series. Dark Blue was pretty cool too. He is currently working on Black Gas and Wolfskin which are not yet on Amazon. All is Avatar work is very raw and violent and I found them to be good, fast and funny reads. He seems to just cut loose on his Avatar work. There doesn't seem to be a lot of editing happening to make him focus or refine his thoughts. I like this because it offers a different view into his brain.

If you're a Warren Ellis fan, and you've read some of his other Avatar work, you know what to expect. For those that aren't familiar with Ellis's Avatar comics, they tend to be weird, hyperviolent, and, sometimes, underdeveloped. "Atmospherics" is a short read at least, but Ellis's afterward is more fascinating then the story. The artwork isn't on par with what you'd find in a Marvel or DC book, although the black-and-white paintings suffice for the story.